The Hiawatha Public Library is excited to announce that the popular on-demand video streaming service Kanopy is now available for free to residents of Hiawatha. Hiawatha residents can access Kanopy by visiting http://hiawatha.kanopy.com.

After a simple sign-up using an email address and library card Hiawatha residents can stream up to 5 films a month on demand instantly. Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast or Roku.

Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie and classic films, and world cinema with collections from Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Samuel Goldwyn, The Orchard, The Great Courses, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers.

With the motto of “thoughtful entertainment,” Kanopy provides Hiawatha residents with access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere, and programming that features diversity, with a wide array of foreign language films, films on race, and current affairs.

Adult Services Librarian Erin Zaputil says, “We are thrilled to be able to offer Kanopy to Hiawatha residents. With offerings such as The Great Courses, and independent and foreign films we believe Kanopy will be a great addition to our collection and will help meet the call for streaming content.”

The Kanopy collection includes indie hits like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, classic masterpieces like Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Seven Samurai, and award-winning documentaries like the 2017 Oscar®-nominated I Am Not Your Negro.

Kanopy was founded in 2008 by CEO Olivia Humphrey as an educational tool for colleges and universities. More than 5 million Kanopy users stream the most acclaimed movies and documentaries from award-winning filmmakers, and experience the best in independent, classic film, and world cinema.

This tutorial is available from the Hiawatha Academy to help patrons learn how to use Kanopy. For more information please call the library at 319-393-1414.